Jennifer Nettles to Host 2016 CMA Country Christmas

Jennifer Nettles will return to her role as host for the 2016 CMA Country Christmas TV special. The Country Music Association revealed details of the event's taping and air date on Tuesday (Oct. 25).

The 2016 CMA Country Christmas special will tape in front of a live audience on Nov. 8 at 7PM CT at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville and air on ABC on Nov. 28 from 8PM ET until 10PM ET. Nettles is hosting for the seventh time this year.

“The taping of CMA Country Christmas has become a treasured holiday tradition for Nashville families,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA CEO, in a press release. “And watching CMA Country Christmas on ABC is equally important as generations gather to celebrate the season.”

Fans with tickets to the CMA Country Christmas taping are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy with them to the event. The toys will be distributed to deserving children in need in Middle Tennessee.

“Providing new toys for deserving children shines a spotlight on a worthy endeavor and reflects the values and spirit of giving found in our artists, industry and city,” adds Trahern.

In addition to her CMA Country Christmas hosting duties, Nettles is getting in the holiday spirit this year by releasing a Christmas album.To Celebrate Christmas is set for release on Friday (Oct. 28) and features 10 of Nettles’ favorite holiday classics, as well as a few duets and special collaborators. She will also reprise her role as Avie Lee Parton, Dolly Parton’s mother, in the upcoming TV movie Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, set to air during the 2016 holiday season.